Visit Savannah’s Joe Marinelli didn’t know what to expect when he went to China last month as part of Gov. Nathan Deal’s trade mission.

Tourism officials are not regulars on these types of trips (credit Deal or his advisors for recognizing the ever-increasing role tourism plays in the state’s economy). Moreover, Marinelli was not sure the best way to approach attracting interest given the cultural divide.

HR consultant Suzanne Kirk urged small business leaders to heap attention on new employees during Tuesday’s Savannah Chamber Small Business Council luncheon.

Kirk continued a presentation she debuted in August titled the “eight great self-inflicted HR wounds.” She reviewed the first three – avoidance, band-aid fixes and global solutions to isolated problems – at the August meeting.

You knew it was coming, but it still took your breath away when it hit.

People took off work to attend the store opening. Let me repeat that: People took off work to attend the store opening. Granted, I was there during work hours, but I was being paid to be there. I can’t imagine take a vacation day to shop at a grocery store, even a really sweet one like Whole Foods.

Renowned Georgia chef Hugh Acheson announced in April he would open a restaurant in Savannah, and Friday he shared the location.

Acheson, whose restaurants in Athens and Atlanta have propelled him to celebrity chef status, will open an Italian-inspired eatery called The Florence in the One West Victory mixed-use development. The apartment/retial complex is going up on the former Chatham County democratic headquarters site at Victory and Bull streets.